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The Wizard Of Oz (MGM film)
The Wizard Of Oz is an American musical fantasy film based on the children's novel, The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Notable for its use of special effects, Technicolor, fantasy storytelling and unusual characters, it has become, over the years, one of the best known of all films. The film is mostly in Technicolor, but its opening and closing sequences are in sepia-tinted black-and-white, including all of the film's credits. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs were written by E.Y. Harburg, the music by Harold Arlen. Incidental music, based largely on the songs, was by Herbert Stothart, with borrowings from classical composers. Although the film received largely positive reviews, it was not a huge box office success on its initial release, earning only $3,017,000 on a $2,000,000 budget. The film was MGM's most expensive production up to that time, but its initial release failed to recoup the studio's investment. Subsequent re-releases made up for that, however. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It lost that award to Gone With The Wind, but won two others, including Best Original Song for "Somewhere, Over The Rainbow". The film was released in theaters on August 25, 1939. Telecasts of the film began on November 3, 1956, re-introducing the film to the public and eventually becoming an annual tradition starting on December 13, 1959, making it one of the most famous films ever made. The film was named the most-watched motion picture in history by the Library of Congress, is often ranked among the Top 10 Best Movies of All Time in various critics' and popular polls, and is the source of many memorable quotes referenced in modern popular culture. Plot Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, and three farmhands: Hunk, Hickory. and Zeke. When Miss Almira Gulch is bitten by Dorothy's pet cairn terrier, Toto, she gets a sheriff's order and takes him away to be destroyed. He escapes and returns to Dorothy, who, fearing for his life, runs away with him. Dorothy soon encounters a traveling fortune teller named Professor Marvel, who guesses she has run away and tells her fortune. He convinces her to return home by falsely telling her that Aunt Em has fallen ill from grief. With a tornado fast approaching, she rushes back to the farmhouse, but is unable to join her family in the locked storm cellar. Taking shelter inside the house, she is knocked unconscious by a window frame blown in by the twister. Dorothy awakens to find the house being carried away by the tornado. After it falls back to earth, she opens the door and finds herself alone in a strange village. Arriving in a floating bubble, Glinda, the good witch of the north, informs her that her house landed on and killed the wicked witch of the east. The timid munchkins come out of hiding to celebrate the witch's demise by singing. Their celebration is interrupted when the wicked witch of the west suddenly appears in a cloud of smoke and tries to claim her dead sister's powerful ruby slippers. But Glinda magically transfers them onto Dorothy's feet and reminds the witch of the west that her power is ineffectual in Munchkinland. She promises Dorothy "I'll get you, my pretty...and your little dog, too!" before vanishing. When Dorothy asks how to get back home, Glinda advises her to seek the help of the mysterious wizard of Oz in the emerald city, which she can reach by following the yellow brick road, and warns her never to remove the ruby slippers. On her way to the city, Dorothy meets a scarecrow, a tin man, and a cowardly lion, who lament that they lack respectively a brain, a heart, and courage. The three decide to accompany her in hopes that the wizard will also fulfill their desires, although they demonstrate that they already have the qualities they believe they lack: the scarecrow has several good ideas, the tin man is kind and sympathetic, and the lion, though terrified, is ready to face danger. After Dorothy and the cowardly lion nearly succumb to one of the witch's traps, the quartet enters the emerald city and see the wizard, who appears as a disembodied, intimidating head. In a booming voice, he states that he will consider granting their wishes if they bring him the wicked witch's broomstick. The group set out for the witch's castle, but she detects them and dispatches her army of flying monkeys, who carry Dorothy and Toto back to her. When the witch threatens to drown Toto, Dorothy agrees to give up the slippers, but a shower of sparks prevents their removal. While the witch ponders, Toto escapes and leads Dorothy's companions to the castle. After overpowering some winkie guards and disguising themselves in their uniforms, they free her. The witch and the winkies corner the group on a parapet, where she sets the scarecrow's arm ablaze. Dorothy throws water on her friend and accidentally splashes the witch, causing her to melt. The winkies are delighted, and their captain gives Dorothy the broomstick. Upon their return to the wizard's chamber, Toto opens a curtain, revealing the wizard to be an a normal old man with no real magical powers. Apologetic, he explains that Dorothy's companions already possess what they have been seeking all along, but bestows upon them tokens of esteem in recognition of them and gives the scarecrow a diploma, the lion a medal, and the tin man a heart-shaped clock. Also born in Kansas, he was brought to Oz by a runaway hot air balloon. He offers to take Dorothy home in the same balloon, leaving the scarecrow, tin man, and lion in charge of the emerald city. As they are about to leave, Toto jumps out and Dorothy runs after him. The wizard, unable to control the balloon, leaves without her. Glinda appears and tells her that she always had the power to return home to Kansas: the ruby slippers will take her back. She previously did not tell Dorothy this because Dorothy had to realize for herself that there's no place like home. After saying her goodbyes to her friends in Oz and following Glinda's instructions, Dorothy closes her eyes, taps her heels together three times, and repeats "There's no place like home". She awakens in her bedroom, surrounded by her family, the three farmhands and Professor Marvel. She claims the farmhands and Professor Marvel were in Oz, and tells them of her adventures. Cast of characters Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale Frank Morgan as Professor Chester Marvel / the doorman / the cabbie / the guard / the wizard of Oz Ray Bolger as Hunk Andrews / the scarecrow Jack Haley as Hickory Twicker / the tin man Bert Lahr as Zeke / the cowardly lion Billie Burke as Glinda, the good witch of the north Margaret Hamilton as Miss Almira Gulch / the wicked witch of the west Clara Blandick as Aunt Emily Gale Charley Grapewin as Uncle Henry Gale Pat Walshe as Nikko, the head flying monkey Terry as Toto the Singer midgets as the munchkins Jerry Maren as the lollipop kid munchkin Mitchell Lewis as the winkie guard captain Song list "Somewhere, Over The Rainbow" - Dorothy "Come Out,..." - Glinda and the munchkins "It Really Was No Miracle" - Dorothy and the munchkins "We Thank You Very Sweetly" - the munchkins "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" - Glinda and the munchkins "As Mayor Of The Munchkin City" - the munchkin mayor "As Coroner, I Must Aver" - the munchkin coroner "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" (reprise) - the munchkins "The Lullaby League" - 3 munchkin girls "The Lollipop Guild" - 3 munchkin boys "We Welcome You To Munchkinland" - the munchkins "Follow The Yellow Brick Road/You're Off To See The Wizard" - Dorothy and the munchkins "If I Only Had A Brain" - the scarecrow and Dorothy "We're Off To See The Wizard" - Dorothy and the scarecrow "If I Only Had A Heart" - the tin man "We're Off To See The Wizard" (reprise 1) - Dorothy, the scarecrow, and the tin man "If I Only Had The Nerve" - the cowardly lion, the tin man, the scarecrow, and Dorothy "We're Off To See The Wizard" (reprise 2) - Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion "Optimistic Voices" - the MGM studio chorus "The Merry Old Land Of Oz" - the cabby, Dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man and the cowardly lion "If I Were King Of The Forest" - the cowardly lion, Dorothy, the scarecrow, and the tin man VHS tape and DVD special features In 1989, the movie's Fiftieth Anniversary Edition VHS tape featured twenty minutes of behind-the-scenes footage: Harold Arlen's home movies of "The Jitterbug," Ray Bolger's extended "If I Only Had A Brain" dance, film of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney at the 1940 Oscars ceremony, and some early publicity film with Buddy Ebsen still playing the tin man. It also came packaged with a booklet of behind-the-scenes information. In 1993, The Ultimate Oz Deluxe Collector's Edition VHS tape featured the Angela Lansbury documentary about a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and its lasting popularity, it included extra material not shown on television: more behind-the-scenes footage including test film of the actors and special effects. It also came packaged with a hardbound copy of the script and a folio of publicity photographs. The 1999 digitally restored Special Edition DVD included a number of DVD exclusives The 2005 three-disc set featured a commentary track by noted Oz historian John Fricke, a music and effects only soundtrack, new made-for-DVD documentaries, many old black-and-white silent Oz movies, the 1933 cartoon, and a documentary on L. Frank Baum In 2009, the Seventieth Anniversary Edition DVD included a new documentary on director Victor Fleming and the 1990 television movie The Dreamer Of Oz, the life story of Oz author L. Frank Baum Deleted characters and scenes Several of the earliest scripts included the following ideas for characters or scenes that were shortened, dropped entirely, and removed before final script approval and never filmed: Bulbo the son of the wicked witch of the west whom she wanted to put on the throne of Oz A stuck-up niece for Miss Gulch A spoiled and selfish princess in Oz named Betty who had wanted to try to outlaw and eliminate all forms of music except classical and operetta, went up against Dorothy in a singing contest in which the latter's swing style enchanted listeners and won the grand prize The grand duke of Oz is Betty's cowardly suitor who gets transformed into a lion A subplot that focuses on a wind machine that Hickory (the Kansan counterpart to the tin man) is trying to invent to break up winds in order to prevent tornadoes A female farmhand named Lizzie Smithers who is Hickory's girlfriend, became the wizard's assistant in Oz An extended version of the scarecrow's dance during "If I Only Had A Brain" A scene where the wicked witch really does turn the tin man into a beehive, complete with animated bees A rainbow bridge that the witch constructs as a trap for Dorothy There was originally a scene called "The Jitterbug," an elaborate song-and-dance number that came right before the winged monkeys captured Dorothy and her friends in the haunted forest A reprise of "Somewhere, Over The Rainbow" which Dorothy sings while locked in the witch's castle was cut because it was so sad The return to the emerald city after melting the wicked witch of the west, with a reprise of "Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch Is Dead" A rescue from the wizard's balloon by the munchkin fire department An expanded ending which takes place back in Kansas after Dorothy's return from Oz, Hunk (the Kansan counterpart to the scarecrow) is leaving for agricultural college and extracts a promise from Dorothy to write to him Differences from the book In L. Frank Baum's original book, Oz is a real place where Dorothy and her family eventually go to live forever, but the movie interprets the Oz experience as a dream induced by a bump on Dorothy's head In the book, Dorothy is a little girl who rescues her friends. While in the movie, she is a teenaged damsel in distress who needs to be rescued In the book, the unnamed good witch of the north and Glinda the good witch of the south are two separate characters. In the movie, the two good witches are are merged into one omniscient character: Glinda the good witch of the north. In the book, the wicked witch of the west is mentioned several times but she is only present for one chapter in the exact middle. In the movie, the role was enlarged to provide more dramatic tension to the very episodic plot. The book's silver shoes were changed to ruby slippers for the movie Many details within the plot are omitted or altered, while many of the perils that Dorothy encountered in the book are not at all mentioned in the movie, and a number of incidents from the book were cut Miss Gulch, Professor Marvel, and the farmhands were newly-created characters for the movie and never appeared in the book In the book, the gift given to the tin man is not a heart-shaped clock but a stuffed satin heart put into his chest and then patched over with tin Soundtrack album releases The songs from the movie are a popular subject for record albums, audio cassette tapes, CD's, and downloadable digital mp3's, so here are a few different versions that have been released over the years: In 1939, an installment of the Maxwell House Good News radio show that was devoted to a sneak peek at the movie featured the public debut of the songs Also in 1939, Judy Garland sang specially recorded versions of "Somewhere, Over The Rainbow" and "The Jitterbug" for a record album that featured the movie's vocal arranger Ken Darby and his orchestra, composer Harold Arlen as the scarecrow, Bud Lyons as the tin man, and Gurney Bell as the cowardly lion In conjunction with the movie's television debut in 1956, MGM released a soundtrack album that had been taken directly from the movie itself with some dialogue interspersed with the songs to tell the story In 1995, the true musical soundtrack of the original unedited film soundtrack outtakes, alternate and rehearsal tracks, and background score was made availible for the first time, being released on a deluxe CD issued by Rhino Records Hosts for television broadcasts of the film In order for the sponsors of television broadcasts of the 101 minute film to present their commercials in a 2-hour block, network heads often have guest hosts entertain the viewers to pad out its running time. The hosts have been: November 3, 1956: Bert Lahr who had played both the cowardly lion and farmhand Zeke in the film, Judy Garland's 10-year-old daughter Liza Minnelli, and 13-year-old Oz expert and collector Justin G. Schiller, who had loaned the network a first edition of the book for Lahr to read to Minnelli on air. The trio provided comedic patter and info about the creation of the film, the history of the Oz books, and provided some insight into the life and career of the story's author L. Frank Baum. December 13, 1959: Red Skelton and his daughter Valentina who were seen as two characters. Before the film began, they were in a studio set of an early 20th-century library as a Victorian-era storyteller and a young girl who was listening to him read L. Frank Baum's original novel The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz. And at film's end, they appeared in a studio recreation of a modern living room as themselves. December 11, 1960: Richard Boone and his son Peter were shown in a studio recreation of a living room on the set of the television series Have Gun, Will Travel. December 10, 1961 & December 9, 1962: Dick Van Dyke and his children were shown in a studio recreation of their living room. They were the only ones to host the film more than once and videotape two different hosting sequences for both of their telecasts. January 26, 1964, January 17, 1965, January 9, 1966, & February 12, 1967: Danny Kaye sat on a prop toadstool against a painted backdrop of the yellow brick road and the emerald city. He would reassure viewers not to panic when the film began in black-and-white rather than in color, and would encourage young viewers not to be afraid of the roaring lion at the beginning of the film. This hosting segment was the only one taped, but for an unknown reason it was repeated for the next three telecasts of the film, rather than have him create a new hosting sequence for each telecast. March 15, 1970: Gregory Peck opened this broadcast by paying a brief tribute to the recently deceased Judy Garland. The segment consisted of only a few remarks, while all the other opening hosting segments had gone on for about three minutes or so. February 20, 1990: Angela Lansbury the star of the television series Murder, She Wrote appears in a filmed segment and also narrated a documentary about a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and its lasting popularity. June 3, 2007: Tom Kenny the voice actor of Spongebob Squarepants hosted it as part of a special summer series of family movies. March 24, & March 25, 2012: Robert Wu who provided the voice of Mr. Washee Washee in the Family Guy episode "Tiegs for Two" hosted this presentation. He made would-be comic remarks after every commercial break, and in the hosting sequence he had to contend with the temperamental "floating head" Oz, who insisted that the film was really all about him, and him exclusively. Because of all of Wu's comic sequences, this telecast of the film was padded out to 2-and-a-half hours. June 10, 2012: Bill Hader a comedian on Saturday Night Live hosted it as both a salute to Judy Garland on her 90th birthday and a part of the summer series of family films. Unlike the hosting segments which were a part of the 1960's telecasts of the film, Hader's segment showed clips from the film before it actually began. Wraparound credits The 1960's telecasts of the film would always have special wraparound opening and closing credits segments devised by CBS, accompanied by their own specially recorded opening and closing music based on the film's score. For the opening wraparound credits, the title The Wizard Of Oz and the names of its five leading actors: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, and Jack Haley, would first be shown in CBS's own format and font, while an anonymous announcer read them off and then followed this with an announcement of the film's sponsors: "This portion of 'The Wizard Of Oz' is brought to you by...". These specially-devised opening credits would never mention that the film was made by MGM. This special introduction would be followed by the host speaking about the movie for about three minutes or so. His remarks would lead directly into the actual film, beginning with all of its original opening credits exactly as MGM had created them with the film's main title music heard. The host would reappear just before the film's second half began to say a few more words about it, before the telecast proceeded with the rest of the film. However at the end of the movie, the film's closing credits as created by MGM would not be shown, and the The End title card that directly follows Dorothy's closing line was never seen on television during these early showings. Instead, television viewers once again saw CBS's specially made title card The Wizard Of Oz, this time accompanied by some of the film's end title music exactly as heard on the soundtrack, and the host would then be seen once again, bid farewell to the TV audience, and CBS would show their own version of the cast list which appears during the film's end credits. Trivia The Wizard Of Oz was first seen outside of the MGM studio in mid-June of 1939, where it went into theaters in southern California to gauge audience reaction, however, this pre-release sneak preview version of the movie was not completely edited and ran for two hours in length. On November 3, 1956, the 90-minute TV series Ford Star Jubilee did not present a live show, but it was expanded to a full two hours to accommodate the first-ever telecast of The Wizard Of Oz, it was the first theatrical film to be broadcast in its entirety on TV and was not a special TV adaptation of the movie. Before then, all full-length feature films were broadcast on TV in one-hour edited versions that were split into two episodes which had been shown a week apart. The scarecrow's face makeup that Ray Bolger wore consisted of a foam rubber mask with holes cut out for eyes and mouth and textured with a woven pattern to look like burlap cloth. Jack Haley did not use his normal voice when playing the tin man, only when playing Hickory, and his normal voice contained none of the almost falsetto-like quality that the tin man's did. The wicked witch of the west has terrified millions of children over the years, so it may come as a bit of a surprise that Margaret Hamilton’s initial career was that of a kindergarten teacher. L. Frank Baum's novel is very dark and gruesome since tiger-bear hybrids known as kalidahs are dashed to pieces in a crevasse, the tin man uses his axe to chop off the heads of a wildcat and forty wolves, bumblebees sting themselves to death against the scarecrow, and the wizard orders the four to actually kill the wicked Witch of the west not simply to retrieve her broomstick. MGM's film removes all this content to make the basic storyline light and appropriate for all audiences. The original idea was to turn the story into a slapstick musical comedy that had a character named Dorothy living in Kansas and a house transported to Oz via cyclone, and the resemblance to the book would have ended there because of a few deviations from what was written in it. A sequel using the original cast was greenlighted, but scrapped after Judy Garland became such a big star and Margaret Hamilton expressed doubts over the feasibility of such a project. The writers had proposed many odd ideas and created new incidents to liven up the story in the very different previous versions of the script, but when it got too bogged down however, they turned to L. Frank Baum's book for inspiration, so the final results are generally an improvement because they are closer to the original storyline! The wicked witch of the east's death certificate says: Certificate of death Name: The wicked witch of the east Residence: The land of Oz I HEREBY CERTIFY that I attended deceased from May 6th to May 6th, 1938 I last saw her alive on May 6th 1938: Death is said to have occurred on the date stated below at 12:30 p.m. Date of Death: May 6th 1938 Month Day Year Signature: W.W. Barister, M.D. Address: Munchkin City Category:Movies Category:The Wizard Of Oz